Monday, October 7, 2013

6:22 PM

In her first public appearance since declaring for the race, Dem guv candidate Mary Burke said public employees should have the right to collectively bargain, "but I think that we should also be looking at how we move forward."

"There were certainly changes that needed to be made, but Act 10 was not the way I would have done it as governor," Burke said during a press conference prior to a meeting of the Madison School Board.

She did not say whether she would push to repeal the 2011 law restricting collective bargaining for public workers as governor, instead saying Wisconsinites should be able to "sit down at the table" to hash out differences, while making sure "that the state comes out comes out of it stronger, not divided and weakened."

Burke, who announced her candidacy in a web video released early this morning, said she made the long-anticipated decision to challenge Gov. Scott Walker after "talking to the people of Wisconsin" and making sure that "the resources would be available to mount a strong campaign."

"I was anxious to get started as soon as those questions were answered," Burke said.

She did not reference Walker by name, but said she's running because "we deserve better leadership ... that puts problem-solving ahead of politics."

Burke said jobs would be the focus of her campaign, saying the state should "invest where we need to" to bolster the state's hallmark industries as well as small businesses. Dems have hammered Walker over the progress made on his pledge to create 250,000 jobs in his first term.

"We're going to focus on what the priorities are, and the people of Wisconsin are saying it's jobs," Burke said.

Burke said she had a "proven track record" of solving problems on the school board, as secretary of the Commerce Department during the Doyle administration and as an executive at Trek Bicycle, which was founded by her father.

"Wisconsin's been very good to me and to my family, and I'm running for governor because I want to make sure we're creating the opportunities, the jobs, so Wisconsin is good for all families for many generations to come," Burke said.